Pectus carinatum (also known as “Pigeon Chest”) and pectus excavatum (sometimes referred to as “funnel” or “sunken chest”, are deformities of the anterior chest wall. Pectus carinatum is caused when the breastbone is pushed outward, while pectus excavatum occurs when the breastbone is pushed abnormally inward.
There can also be mixed presentations of both conditions. Pectus excavatum is more common, affecting approximately 1 in 300 people, while pectus carinatum affects 1 in 900 people. LOC has pioneered this method of treatment in the UK. The optimum age for non-surgical treatment is during puberty, as the chest wall is still malleable.
LOC was established in August 2004, by four clinicians who originally worked with the NHS at a London hospital. They ran a successful orthotic department that gained a worldwide reputation as a centre of excellence in the field of rehabilitation.
The London Orthotic Consultancy’s non-surgical treatment for pectus excavatum and pectus carinatum involves wearing a bespoke brace, or orthosis, called a 'Dynamic Chest Compressor' in combination with a programme of daily exercises. We call our treatment programme LOCpectus.
Pioneering non-surgical Treatment
The London Orthotic Consultancy's treatment follows the methods of Dr Haje, who passed away in the summer of 2012. He had successfully treated more than 1,900 patients from all over the world during the past 34 years, at his clinic in Brazil.
Dr Haje was widely regarded as the leading authority on the non-surgical treatment of pectus deformities. He wrote several peer-reviewed articles for leading orthopaedic journals and lectured at many orthopaedic conferences. In 2010, he was presented with The Scientific Impact award by the Brazilian Medical Association.
Read more about Dr Haje’s legacy here
Treatment with Us
Generally, we define the result and the time to finish treatment by your own opinion of how your chest looks. The majority of our patients enter into the treatment because they are not happy with their chest shape. Therefore, we want you to be happy with the end result. This may range from you feeling comfortable enough to take your shirt off in public, or that you may simply no longer be aware of any deformity under your clothes. This is a very personal decision, but we will help to guide you through it.
For the initial appointment, we can monitor the progress by reviewing the patient either at one of our clinics or on Skype. We must constantly monitor and adjust the orthosis known as the Dynamic Chest Compressor to ensure the correct correctional forces are being applied and the chest is being remodeled correctly.
Read more about the dynamic chest compressor here
View our case histories here
At each physical appointment, we will check that the brace is positioned correctly and that the correction pads are designed correctly for your changing chest shape. We realise that there is a huge commitment required from you to wear the brace and we want every moment that you wear it to be as effective as possible.
For patients considering LOC’s non-surgical treatments for pectus excavatum and pectus carinatum, the initial consultation is FREE with no obligation to proceed.
During the consultation one of LOC's clinicians will examine your chest and also your general posture. They will look at your alignment from head to toe if required, looking for signs of asymmetry.
